Shrinkable thermoplastic films have found many useful applications in packaging of meats, cheeses, poultry and numerous other food and non-food products. There is always the search for improvement in these films to make them have better impact resistance, improved optics and improved ohrinkability. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,856 to Ferguson et al., the multilayer thermoplastic heat shrinkable film was described having improved shrink, toughness and barrier properties. The film included at least one layer of a very low density polyethylene and a gas barrier layer of vinylidene chloride copolymer or ethylene vinyl alcohol. The film was found to be particularly useful for making bags for packaging large cuts of fresh red meat.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,059,481, 4,976,898 and 4,863,769, all to Lustig et al., disclose heat shrinkable film suitable for packaging food articles such as frozen poultry, primal meat cuts and processed meat products wherein the film may be a biaxially stretched monolayer film of a very low density polyethylene copolymer or a multilayer film containing very low density polyethylene.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,960 to Newsome discloses the use of linear low density polyethylene in multiple layer molecularly oriented films.
Each of the foregoing patents describe the incorporation into heat shrinkable films of conventional ethylene/alpha-olefins produced by Ziegler-Natta catalyst systems. Ziegler-Natta catalytic methods are commonly used throughout the polymer industry and have a long history tracing back to about 1957.
These systems are often referred to as heterogeneous since they are composed of many types of catalytic species each at different metal oxidation states and different coordination environments with ligands. Examples of Ziegler-Natta heterogeneous systems include metal halides activated by an organometallic co-catalyst, such as titanium or magnesium chlorides complexed to trialkyl aluminum and may be found in patents such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,302,565 and 4,302,566. Because these systems contain more than one catalytic species, they possess polymerization sites with different activities and varying abilities to incorporate comonomer into a polymer chain.
The result of such multi-site chemistry is a product with poor control of the polymer chain architecture both within the sequence of a single chain, as well as when compared to a neighboring chain. In addition, differences in catalyst efficiency produce high molecular weight polymer at some sites and low molecular weight at others. Therefore, copolymers produced using these systems lead to polymer products which are mixtures of chains some high in comonomer and others with almost none. For example, conventional Ziegler-Natta multi-site catalysts may yield a linear ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer (HDPE, LLDPE, VLDPE, ULDPE) having a mean comonomer percentage of 10, but with a range of 0% to 40% comonomer in individual chains. This, together with the diversity of chain lengths results in a truly heterogeneous mixture also having a broad molecular weight distribution (MWD).
Linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) has enjoyed great success as a raw material choice for packaging films. The term LLDPE is generally understood to describe copolymers of ethylene and one or more other alpha olefin monomers which are polymerized at low pressure using a Ziegler-Natta catalyst to achieve a density range of about 0.915 to about 0.940. Although no clear standard exists, LLDPE polymers are often marketed in subgroups of densities such as linear medium density (LLDPE), linear low density polyethylene, linear very low density (VLDPE), or linear ultra low density polyethylene (ULDPE). These classifications are for marketing use and will vary by supplier.
These materials are different from high pressure low density polyethylene (LDPE) which is generally understood in the trade as a highly branched homopolymer having a single low melting point. For example, a 0.92 density LDPE would typically have a melting point at about 112° C. while a corresponding density LLDPE would have melting points at 107°, 120°, and 125° C. The multiple melting points are commonly observed with LLDPE and are a consequence of the above mentioned heterogeneous incorporation of comonomer.
Recently a new type of ethylene copolymer has been introduced which is the result of a new catalyst technology. Examples of introductory journal articles include “Exxon Cites ‘Breakthrough’ in Olefins Polymerization,” Modern Plastics, July 1991, p. 61; “Polyolefins Gain Higher Performance from New Catalyst Technologies,” Modern Plastics, October 1991, p. 46; “PW Technology Watch,” Plastics World, November 1991, p. 29; and “,” Plastics Technology, November 1991, p. 15.
These new resins are produced using metallocene catalyst systems, the uniqueness of which resides in the steric and electronic equivalence of each catalyst position. Metallocene catalysts are characterized as having a single, stable chemical type rather than a volatile mixture of states as discussed for conventional Ziegler-Natta. This results in a system composed of catalyst positions which have a singular activity and selectivity. For this reason; metallocene catalyst systems are often referred to as “single site” owing to the homogeneous nature of them, and polymers and copolymers produced from them are often referred to as single site resins by their suppliers.
Generally speaking, metallocene catalysts are organometallic compounds containing one or more cyclopentadienyl ligands attached to metals such as hafnium, titanium, vanadium, or zirconium. A co-catalyst, such as but not limited to, oligomeric methyl alumoxane is often used to promote the catalytic activity. By varying the metal component and the cyclopentadienyl ligand a diversity of polymer products may be tailored having molecular weights ranging from about 200 to greater than 1,000,000 and molecular weight distributions from 1.5 to about 15. The choice of co-catalyst influences the efficiency and thus the production rate, yield, and cost.
Exxon Chemical, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,432 sets out examples of which olefin catalyst systems are of the metallocene class and which are non-metallocene. They cite bis(cyclopentadienyl) dichloro-transition metal, bis(cyclopentadienyl)methyl, chloro-transition metal, and bis(cyclopentadienyl) dimethyl-transition metal as examples of metallocene catalysts, where the metals include choices such as titanium, zirconium, hafnium, and vanadium. The patent further provides examples of non-metallocene catalysts as being TiCl4, TiBr4, Ti(0C4H9)2Cl2, VCl4, and VOCl3.
Similarly, C. P. Cheng, at SPO 91, the Specialty Polyolefins Conference sponsored by Schotland and held in Houston, Tex. in 1991, cited TiCl3/A1R2Cl and MgCl2/TiCl4/AlR3 as examples of non-metallocene Ziegler-Natta catalysts and transition metal cyclopentadienyl complexes as examples of metallocene homogeneous polyolefin catalysts.
As a consequence of the single site system afforded by metallocenes, ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer resins can be produced with each polymer chain having virtually the same architecture. Therefore, the copolymer chains produced from single site systems are uniform not only in chain length, but also in average comonomer content, and even regularity of comonomer spacing, or incorporation along the chain.
In contrast to the above mentioned Ziegler-Natta polymers, these single site metallocene polymers are characterized as having a narrow MWD and narrow compositional distribution (CD). While conventional polymers have MWD's of about 3.5 to 8.0, metallocenes range in MWD from about 1.5 to about 2.5 and most typically about 2.0. MWD refers to the breadth of the distribution of molecular weights of the polymer chains, and is a value which is obtained by dividing the number-average molecular weight into the weight-average molecular weight. The low CD, or regularity of side branches chains along a single chain and its parity in the distribution and length of all other chains, greatly reduces the low MW and high MW “tails”. These features reduce the extractables which arise from poor LMW control as well as improve the optics by removing the linear, ethylene-rich portions which are present in conventional heterogeneous resins.
Thus, conventional Ziegler-Natta systems produce heterogeneous resins which reflect the differential character of their multiple catalyst sites while metallocene systems yield homogeneous resins which, in turn, reflect the character of their single catalytic site.
Another distinguishing property of single site catalyzed ethylene copolymers is manifested in their melting point range. The narrow CD of metallocenes produces a narrow melting point range as well as a lower Differential Scanning calorimeter (DSC) peak melting point peak. Unlike conventional resins which retain a high melting point over a wide density range, metallocene resin melting point is directly related to density. For example, an ethylene/butene copolymer having a density of 0.905 g/cc produced using a metallocene catalyst has a peak melting point of about 100° C., while a slightly lower density ethylene/butene copolymer which was made using a conventional Ziegler catalyst reflects its heterogeneous nature with a melting point at about 120° C. DSC shows that the Ziegler resin is associated with a much wider melting point range and actually melts higher despite its lower density.
In recent years several resin suppliers have been researching and developing metallocene catalyst technology. The following brief discussion should be viewed as representative rather than exhaustive of this active area of the patent literature.
Dow in EP 416,815 disclosed the preparation of ethylene-olefin copolymers using monocyclopentadienylsilane complexed to a transition metal. The homogeneous ethylene copolymers which may be prepared using this catalyst are said to have better optical properties than typical ethylene polymers and be well suited for film or injection molding.
Welborn in Exxon U.S. Pat. No. 4,306,041 discloses the use of metallocene catalysts to produce ethylene copolymers which have narrow molecular weight distributions.
Chang, in Exxon U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,228 discloses the production of ethylene copolymers of 1-propene, 1-butene, 1-hexene, and 1-octene using metallocene catalysts.
Exxon in U.S. Pat. No. 4,935,397 discloses the production of ethylene copolymers using metallocene catalysts to manufacture polymer suitable for injection molding or thermoforming.
Welborn, in Exxon U.S. Pat. No. 5,084,534 discloses the use of bis(n-butylcyclopentadienyl) zirconium dichloride to produce high molecular weight polyethylene having a polydispersity of 1.8 and a density of 0.955 g/cc.
In Exxon U.S. Pat. No. 3,161,629 a cyclopentadienyl complex is disclosed which may be used to produce polyolefins having controlled molecular weight and density suitable for use in extrusion or injection molding.
Canich in Exxon U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,055,438 and 5,057,475 discloses the use of mono-cyclopentadienyl catalysts having a unique silicon bridge which may be employed to select the stereochemical structure of the polymer. Catalysts such as methyl, phenyl, silyl, tetramethylcyclopentadienyl-tertbutylamido-zirconium dichloride may be used to produce polyethylene and ethylene copolymers suitable for films and fibers.
Mitsui Toatsu in JP 63/175004 employed bis (cyclopentadienyl)ethoxy-ZrCl to prepare homogeneous ethylene copolymers.
Mitsubishi in JP 1,101,315 discloses the use of bis (cyclopentadienyl)ZrCl2 for the preparation of ethylene butene copolymers.
It should be noted that at least some previously available ethylene based linear polymers approximated the physical and compositional properties achieved by the present metallocene catalyzed polyolefins. For example, in “Sequence and Branching Distribution of Ethylene/1-Butene Copolymers Prepared with a Soluble Vanadium Based Ziegler-Natta Catalyst,” Macromolecules, 1992, 25, 2820-2827, it was confirmed that a soluble vanadium-based Ziegler-Natta catalytic system VOCl3/Al2(C2H5)3Cl3, acts essentially as a single site catalyst although VOCl3 is not a metallocene. Homogeneous copolymers produced by such a catalyst system have been commercially available for several years. An example of such are the resins sold under the tradename Tafmer™ by Mitsui.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,501,634 to Yoshimura et al is directed to an oriented, multilayered film which includes a Tafiner as a blend component in at least one layer.
Japanese Kokoku 37907/83 to Gunze Limited was directed to a heat-sealable biaxially oriented composite film wherein the heat seal layer contains Tafiner in a blend.
The foregoing patents disclose homogeneous ethylene alpha-olefins having densities below 0.90 g/cc. Heretofore, such resins have been generally unavailable in densities at and above 0.90 g/cc because of limitations in the VOCl3 process. Yet, Canadian Patent 1,209,825 to DuPont discloses homogeneous copolymers having densities up to about 0.920 made with single site Zigler catalysts. When extruded into a film the resins exhibit improved physical and optical properties as compared to films of heterogeneous copolymers. However, such homogeneous copolymers of densities above 0.90 g/cc have been commercially unavailable. It is believed that process limitations precluded the manufacture of such resins in any but bench-top quantities. Metallocene catalysts, however, can provide such homogeneous copolymers in a wide range of densities in commercial quantities. Thus, the processing benefits of homogeneity can now be incorporated into copolymers having densities analogous to those of conventional VLDPEs and LLDPEs. It has been found that in accordance with the present invention that such combination of properties are especially beneficial when these metallocene catalyzed resins are used in the production of heat shrinkable films and bags.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide heat-shrinkable, thermoplastic films and bags containing homogeneous copolymers which combine the benefits of homogeneity with the benefits of densities above 0.90 g/cc.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such thermoplastic heat-shrinkable materials which may be multilayered with each layer serving a function or providing some characteristic to the overall film structure.